Sapling of the Leaf
by littlespider
Summary: A look at the good and the bad of young Tenzou's life in Anbu. One thing is certain: with a captain like Kakashi, there was never a dull moment. Rated to be safe.
1. Unspeakable Past

I've been a bit obsessed with young Anbu Tenzou fics lately, and as there sadly are not enough of them in the world, I decided to add my own. This collection will probably a little mix of friendship related angst and fluff, with the potential for some light Kakayama later on.

Tenzou will not be referred to as Yamato at all in this fic, as it takes place way before he was ever given that codename. Just a heads up.

Also, a little note on the few Japanese words I'll be using:

_Senpai_ - senior/mentor _Kohai_ - junior/protege _Mokuton_ - Wood Style/Wood Release

Alright, enough of that. Now on with the fic!

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are not mine. If they were, we'd have a Kakashi and Tenzou Anbu spin off in the works.

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><p>"Oi, Tenzo!" Kakashi called, strolling into his team's dormitory room. To his surprise, it was completely empty. Making his way over to Tenzou's bunk against the far wall, he tried again. "Tenzou?"<p>

Sure enough, the boy was nowhere in sight. Frowning slightly, Kakashi surveyed the younger shinobi's space. The bed was neatly made, as expected of an Anbu member, and unlike some of the other walls that were decorated with posters and pictures of the shinobis' families, the wall beside Tenzou's bunk was bare. The small cubby at the end of the bed held Tenzou's mission supply pouches, and his decorated cat mask sat beside them. Of course, Kakashi had already expected this; he'd checked the mission assignments and the Mokuton user hadn't been assigned any solo missions while the rest of his team was recuperating from their last assignment. So where was he?

The whole building seemed to lurch suddenly as the ground shook. Kakashi was out the door before the shaking even stopped, heading for the Anbu training grounds. That felt a lot like when Tenzou used his Mokuton...

Sure enough, Kakashi found Tenzou on one of the training fields locked in a sparring match with an older Anbu shinobi from another squad. The kid was using his Mokuton with amazing skill, manipulating sharp roots from the ground to hold onto his opponent's legs and keep him from moving. What Kakashi didn't expect was the huge crowd watching the match. It seemed like every Anbu member not currently on an active assignment was standing on the edge of the field looking on.

Kakashi made his way through the crowd to where the rest of his own team stood next to Yugao, the purple haired konouichi who spent more time hanging out with Kakashi's team than with her own. Genma and Raido nodded at him in acknowledgment.

"What's going on?" The silver haired captain wanted to know.

"Shiro's been giving Tenzou a hard time for the past few days, making fun of his hair, calling him 'the freak from the Foundation.'" Yugao explained, her eyes not leaving the field as Shiro managed to escape Tenzou's roots by substituting two branches.

Kakashi sighed. Shiro was a highly skilled shinobi and an experienced Anbu captain. However, he was also one of the older members of Anbu, consistently passing up all opportunities to join the ranks of the regular jounin and had a well known dislike for the increasingly young age of Anbu's recruits. At fourteen, Tenzou wasn't the youngest shinobi to ever join Anbu - Kakashi believed he still held that record - but as the current youngest member it had only been a matter of time before he started to rub Shiro the wrong way.

"So who challenged who?" Kakashi asked wearily.

"Actually, Tenzou challenged Shiro." Raido said, sounding surprised himself. "At breakfast Shiro was ragging on him about his Mokuton and Tenzou told him they should take it take it outside if he was so eager to see the technique up close and personal."

"So here we are," Genma added snarkily.

After escaping Tenzou's hold, Shiro reappeared right behind the younger shinobi and dropped low to sweep Tenzou's feet out from under him. Tenzou staggered to the side slightly, going down briefly on one hand before using that arm to propel himself to further to the side and away from Shrio's lunging punch in a modified black flip. He landed on a little platform of wood that grew out of the ground to meet him, then rolled off the back and ducked behind it to avoid the two shuriken and kunai the older shinobi flung at him.

"Stop hiding, boy!" Shiro growled in frustration, flipping over the wooden block himself to stab a kunai into Tenzou's shoulder.

There was no gasp of shock at the sudden use of deadly force; these were Anbu watching after all, and they'd seen their fair share of friendly sparring matches turn deadly. And this one hadn't been that friendly to begin with. Nevertheless, a low murmur went through the crowd when the kunai sunk not into flesh, but a solid wood copy of Tenzou. Livid, Shiro tried to yank the kunai free, only to find it stuck fast.

_Very clever, Tenzou._ Kakashi found himself smiling behind his mask. The older shinobi was angry and not thinking clearly, and Tenzou was using that to his advantage.

Shiro made a rapid series of hand signs as Tenzou landed in a tense crouch half the way across the field. Instantly, three Shiro shadow clones sprung up and leapt simultaneously at the younger shinobi, who performed his own set of intricate hand signs. The clones were all pierced through with sharp wooden spikes that sprung up from the ground, while Tenzou launched himself at the real Shiro to engage him in close combat. While the Anbu captain fought ferociously with a kunai in each hand, Tenzou countered with nothing but two wooden wrist guards that he grew out of his own forearms. Ducking and dodging the kunai's slashes, he managed to clip Shiro under the chin with the pointy end of one of his wrist guards. The blow sent the older shinobi flying backward.

Looking slightly shocked, Shiro pushed himself back to his feet while running through another series of hand signs. Standing on the sidelines and even without his Sharingan, Kakashi could see they were for a Windstyle boomerang jutsu. Sure enough, Shiro reached up over his head and, seeming to grab suddenly dense, fast moving air, flung it directly at Tenzou with a grunt of effort. It was one of the captain's signature jutsu's and was known to level hordes of enemies with its double-strike nature.

Tenzou, however, appeared unphased. He simply slapped his palms together, forefingers raised and pressed against each other, and the same domed wall that Kakashi had seen him use during their confrontation with Danzo sprung up out of the ground. This time, however, the wall seemed sturdier and, rather than giving way to Shiro's boomerang attack, it seemed to swell slightly, pushing back against the sharp gust of concentrated wind before the top of the wall shattered. Shiro leaped in a vain attempt to dodge his own attack, but it was no use. The mass of wind was shot back at him at an incredible speed, catching the captain in its grasp and smashing him into the dirt. The surrounding crowd raised hands to block their eyes against the rush of dirt and air that shot their way as the mass of wind dissipated. Shiro tried to raise his head but didn't get more than an inch or two off the ground before collapsing back with a gasp of pain and frustration, a large piece of wood from the wall impaled through his right shoulder.

"Th-that was amazing," Yugao breathed. The entire crowd of Anbu shinobi was completely quiet, staring at the young boy standing behind his partially destroyed domed wall, arms still up in a guarded position, breath coming in gentle pants.

The shinobi to the immediate right of Kakashi stiffened. "Damn, that kid's good."

A female shinobi standing leaned closer to the speaker. "What did you expect? That's the transfer from the Foundation."

"He must have been Danzo's pet project. How else could he have the Mokuton?" yet another Shinobi murmured.

Kakashi sighed and started to press his way through the crowd toward Tenzou and Shiro. Tenzou had been assigned to his team in part because the Hokage wanted Kakashi to keep a close eye on the kid and to make sure his Mokuton powers weren't drawing too much attention. So far, it appeared he was failing miserably.

"Alright, Tenzou, I think that's enough," Kakashi said in his usual calm, almost bored tone, walking right up to the younger shinobi.

"Kakashi-senpai!" Tenzou looked surprised not only to see his captain, but also the huge crowd that had gathered to watch his fight. Suddenly embarrassed, he nodded his understanding and with a few short hand signs, the domed wall disappeared back into the earth.

Two of Shiro's teammates had made their way out of the crowd and well helping him stand, one of his arms over each of their shoulders. To Shiro's amazement, Tenzou approached the older shinobi and bowed deeply. "Thank you for the match, Shiro-senpai."

At first a dark look passed over Shiro's face and Kakashi tensed, preparing himself for an attack. But then Shiro chuckled, his low voice rumbling in his chest. "I may not particularly like you, kid, but you're a hell of a fighter. I guess there's a reason you're Anbu after all."

Tenzou simply gave another bow. "Thank you, Senpai."

Then Shiro was being led away, no doubt to the infirmary, by his teammates, and the crowd that had been watching was buzzing with chatter. Kakashi's ears picked up the words "Foundation," "Mokuton," and "Danzo" here and there, and knew he needed to have a serious talk with the kid about being a little more carefully about displaying his powers like that. But it would have to wait. Now that his opponent had left the field, Tenzou allowed himself to double over and brace his hands on his knees as he breathed deeply. Clearly using the Mokuton required a serious amount of chakra. Very aware of the sweat rolling down his kohai's face and the inquisitive eyes all around them, Kakashi stepped closer to Tenzou and, gripping his shoulder tightly, teleported them off the practice field.

They landed rather ungracefully in the Anbu locker room, Tenzou's weary frame staggering slightly at the sudden rapid shift and falling into Kakashi. The young jounin managed to steady them both with a short laugh.

"Maa, Tenzou, you pushed yourself too hard." Kakashi laughed, although the younger boy gave him a slight frown. "We'll need to get you something to eat, but I think a shower first would be best."

Tenzou laughed as Kakashi shoved a towel into his face. "Alright, Senpai, I get it. I stink!"

As Tenzou showered, Kakashi lounged on one of the benches in the middle of the locker room, skimming a new book. He'd never heard of this Icha-Icha Paradise Series before, but Genma had suggested to him and he figured if it was good enough to capture Genma's attention - the senbon-chewing shinobi had little patience for reading - then he might as well give it a go. As though Kakashi has summoned him with his thoughts, Genma walked into the locker room, Raido and Yugao in tow.

"I thought we'd find you guys here," Genma said, giving his companions a knowing smirk. Yugao responded by rolling her eyes.

"He's assuming we're having a team dinner to celebrate Tenzo's victory," Raido warned Kakashi, throwing an exasperated look Genma's way.

"Why wouldn't we?" Genma asked, plopping down on the bench beside Kakashi, though his exuberance didn't seem at all diminished. "That was no ordinary victory. Our little sapling defeated Shiro, the Old Man of Anbu himself! And there he is, the little stud!"

Tenzou emerged from the showers with a sheepish grin, towel wrapped around his waist and long brown hair finally freed from his face mask. Noticing Yugao was with his teammates, the young shinobi blushed slightly and appeared to try and hide himself behind his locker door as he fished for a clean uniform. Kakashi watched his reaction with amusement, and wondered what Tenzou's interaction with the opposite sex had been like while in the Foundation. He was going to assume practically non-existent.

"Uh, Genma, I think you're mixing your metaphors a bit," Tenzou laughed from behind his locker door, quickly sliding into clean undergarments and the standard issue black Anbu uniform.

Yugao, recognizing his embarrassment, turned her back to give him the semblance of privacy. "That match was really something, Tenzou. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Well-"

"The Foundation, of course!" Genma butted in. "I'll bet you learned all kinds of crazy techniques from that maniac, Danzo."

Raido gave his socially tactless friend an exasperated look, but he too was curious. "I've heard all kinds of stories about the kind of training they require in the Foundation. Is it true that half of your training took place in sensory deprivation chambers? And do they really use emotional suppression techniques from the Village Hidden in the Mist?"

Finally putting his book away, Kakashi frowned at his team members. As Anbu, they should've known not to press for information like that. Part of the job was that they received information on a need to know basis. As fascinating as Tenzou was as a Mokuton user and the first Anbu to transfer from the Foundation in years, Genma and Raido weren't really on the list of those who needed to know.

Leaning up against his locker slightly, Tenzou adjusted his silver face mask and tried his best to answer. "Well, it is hard to say."

"What do you mean?" Yugao interjected, looking confused. "If you were a member of the Foundation, shouldn't you know about how they train?"

Tenzou should his head, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Not necessarily. Because of my Mokuton, I was chosen to train directly under Lord D- augh!"

To the shock of everyone in the room, Tenzou broke off with a strangled cry of pain, both hands coming up to grasp at his throat. His body seemed to spasm and his jaw snapped shut with a loud snap, muffling his accompanying cry. He seemed to be struggling to breathe, his hands pulling at his throat and jaw as if he couldn't force his mouth open. Another spasm wracked his frame and Tenzou's limbs went suddenly rigid, causing him to topple over to the side.

He would have hit the floor had Kakashi not stepped forward and caught him against his vested chest. Maneuvering Tenzou so the younger boy's stiff frame was leaning back against his senpai, Kakashi shook him gently. "Tenzou! What's wrong?"

Tenzou couldn't answer, merely letting out a muffled choking sound as he struggled for air. His face began to pale.

Yugao rushed to join them on the floor as Genma and Raido stood over them, confused but ready to help. Her medical training kicked as she scanned him for injuries.

"Is it an injury from the sparring match?" Genma wanted to know, his tone concerned.

Yugao shook her head, her deft hands feeling along his throat and jaw line. Concentrating, she could feel the muscles in his throat tensing and tightening and his jaw was clenched shut. "No, you were there. Shiro didn't manage to land a single hit. It's almost like he's choking or something. His airway is all blocked. If his jaw wasn't locked up, I might be able to take a look at his throat as see what we're dealing with, but…"

If she continued, Kakashi never knew. He stopped paying attention, watching Tenzou intently instead as the younger shinobi's lips started to take on a blue tint, his eyes glazing over. Kakashi blinked. Oh.

"It's his curse mark," he breathed, finally remembering Danzo's parting words. _Members of the Foundation have a curse mark, so they do not reveal top-secret intel. I will not remove the Curse Mark. _

Yugao and his teammates looked at Kakashi in horror. "Curse mark?"

Kakashi nodded. "Every member of the Foundation has one to ensure that none of them reveal any information about the organization to friends and enemies of the Leaf alike. Danzo's name must be a trigger."

"In that case, there's nothing I can do." Yugao rocked back on her heels, hands falling limply into her lap. "Tenzou, you just have to relax. I know it's difficult, but try and breath nice and slowly through your nose. If you stop fighting it, the paralysis should wear off in a few minutes. Do you understand?"

Tenzou couldn't have nodded even if he wanted to, so instead he stared up at her and Kakashi with scared brown eyes. It was hard to believe this was the boy who showed so much prowess on the practice field less than an hour ago. He was obviously struggling to comply with Yugao's words, but his chest shook with the effort of drawing in breath and one look at the blue tinge around the edges of his face told Kakashi that if the paralysis didn't wear off soon, Tenzou would pass out from lack of oxygen.

After a few tense minutes, Tenzou's body began to relax, his muscles ceasing their cramping and twitching. His throat suddenly clear and his jaw loosened, Tenzou took a shuddering breath that turned into a harsh coughing fit. Sitting the boy up a little straighter, Yugao rubbed at his chest to increase blood flow there and help set the pace of his breathing. This seemed to help and Tenzou was soon breathing more normally.

"Thanks," he murmured tiredly, slumping back against Kakashi's chest. He blinked tiredly, trying to dispel the tears that had welled up in his eyes from the coughing.

"Sorry about that, man," Raido said, crouching down along side the group on the floor. Behind him, Genma nodded. "If I'd known you were marked, I wouldn't have pushed so many questions."

"D-don't worry about it," Tenzou replied, coughing lightly. "I just shouldn't have answered but the mark isn't usually so sensitive."

Kakashi's grip on the boy's arms tightly slightly. "Has this happened before?"

Tenzou nodded, though this time they could see he was choosing his words very carefully. "Yes, but in far… different circumstances. Normally we can discuss basic info like training but I guess my mark was made a little more sensitive after my, uh, unexpected departure."

Kakashi scowled darkly. If he hadn't hated Danzo before, he certainly did now. He didn't even want to know what circumstances had activated Tenzou's curse mark before. They would simply have to be more careful about what questions they asked Tenzou, if any. Instead, Kakashi tried to focus on the boy resting against the front of him, breathing returning to normal. "Do you think you can stand?"

Tenzou nodded and with the slightest bit of help from Kakashi from behind, managed to climb to his feet. He sent a grateful and slightly embarrassed grin at both his captain and Yugao before looking at the ground and fidgeting nervously. "Uh, Senpai?"

Kakashi looked down at Tenzou, surprised by the uncertainty in the younger shinobi's voice. Was the mark still affecting him? "Tenzou?"

"Can we still get something to eat?"


	2. A Fresh Cut

Tenzou wants to cut his hair, Kakashi's not sure, and Yugao saves the day.

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><p>"Tenzou, are you sure you want to do this?" Kakashi hovered nervously behind his kohai, sharp kunai in one hand and an apprehensive look on his face.<p>

Tenzou gave a sigh, but he nodded. "It can't be helped. Let's get this over with."

Kakashi stepped closer, adjusted his grip on the kunai, and then stepped back again, shaking his head. "I can't."

"Senpai," Tenzou rolled his eyes, his voice the closest to whining that it had ever come. "It's just hair! It'll grow back. Besides, it's already ruined."

Kakashi lightly brushed the uneven, charred ends of Tenzou's once long hair. In his mind's eye, he could still see Tenzou bursting through the wall of the burning building, disregarding his own safety entirely to rescue his captain from burning alive. Given that the building collapsed merely seconds after the two Anbu made it out, Kakashi supposed he should be glad that Tenzou's hair was the only thing to catch fire. Still, it did seem a shame...

Snorting at his Senpai, Tenzou snatched the kunai from his hands. "Fine, if it bothers you that much, _I'll_ do it."

Kakashi actually found himself looking away as Tenzou gasped a handful of hair and, faced screwed up in concentration, placed the kunai behind it.

"What are you to doing?!"

Yugao's horrified cry at the door of the locker room startled both both shinobi, who jumped and looked up at her guiltily. Tenzou, who'd been so concentrated on his hair, nearly took his own eye out with the kunai. Looking nervously at the purple haired konouichi, Tenzou tried a smile that looked to Kakashi more like a poorly contained wince.

"Uh, I was just cutting my hair," Tenzou explained. "It got a little, um, charred on our last mission so-"

"So you just thought you'd do it yourself?" Yugao scoffed, walking toward the younger shinobi and taking the kunai from him. She sent a glare at Kakashi. "And Kakashi, you were just going to stand there and let him hack his hair to shreds?"

"Uh, no, no, I-" Kakashi stammered, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Tenzou laughed, amused to see his normally cool and collected captain so flustered. Then he yelped as Yugao yanked on his hair, pulling it back into a tie at the back of his head. "Ow! What're you doing?"

"If you insist on chopping off your beautiful hair, then least I can do is make sure that you do it properly," Yugao answered with a slight shake of her head. "Alright, you ready?"

Tenzou didn't actually have time to answer before Yugao gripped his pulled back hair, held it taught, and ran the kunai through it with one swift slice. Shocked, Tenzou stood frozen, though he was pretty such that he heard Kakashi make a little noise of protest. Yugao walked around the front of the younger shinobi, offering him the thick ponytail now separated from his head.

"Well, there you go!" Yugao said, breaking the sudden silence and ducking back around Tenzou to pull the band she'd used off his remaining hair. "I must say, now you look so manly, Tenzou."

Tenzou blushed, the length of hair still clutched in his fist. "Thank you, Yugao."

"No problem, kiddo," she smiled, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Wouldn't want to trust something as beautiful as your hair to someone like Kakashi."

Waving, the konouichi left the locker room, mentioning something about a meeting of the medical core. That left Kakashi reclining against one of the lockers and watching Tenzou stand in the middle of the room, holding his freshly cut hair. After several minutes of silence, Kakashi spoke.

"Ne, what's going on in that head of yours, Tenzou? Do you want us to have a funeral for your hair or something?" The Mokuton user didn't respond. "Tenzou?"

"T-This is it."

Kakashi glanced at his young friend. "Hm?"

"This is the last piece of my time in the Foundation." Tenzou elaborated, his voice soft.

Ah. Now Kakashi saw the problem. Tenzou had transferred into the Hokage's Anbu during a time of extreme tension between the Hokage and Danzo's Foundation. As a result, they had stripped the young boy of everything that he had owned during his time in the secret organization, from his uniform and weapons to his signature cat mask. Of course, they had replaced all those with identical objects issued directly from the Hokage, but as far as Kakashi knew, the only thing Tenzou had been allowed to keep was his metal face mask and long hair. Although the Foundation was not known for being a particularly warm and caring organization, it was the only life Tenzou had ever known. It was only understandable that he would have a hard time completely letting go.

"Tenzou," Kakashi said, walking forward to grab his kohai's shoulder and lead him into the communal bathroom. He directed him to one of the sinks and the mirror above it. "And that is your future in Anbu."

Tenzou's eyes widened slightly as as he took in his new appearance. His hair now fell just below his ears, revealing a broader neck that he had expected and lightly muscled shoulders from years of training. He found his jaw beginning to round out and and his features generally more masculine than the last time he was had bothered looking in a mirror. Tenzou was growing up and he looked... No, he _was_ stronger than when he first joined the Hokage's Anbu, just those few months ago.

And, looking back in the mirror at Kakashi standing behind him, Tenzou decided the new bonds he was forming would only make him even stronger.


	3. The Mission

To Tenzou, the mission is of the utmost importance. Kakashi disagrees.

_[Tenzou is 15 y/o]_

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><p>Lightning lit up the night sky as the silver-haired captain finally called his team to a halt. Kakashi surveyed his team as they perched, Anbu masks pushed to the side and breathing heavily, on the branch of a tall tree. They had been running for hours and he could clearly see that they couldn't keep it up any longer. Ever the stoic, Genma had yet to complain, but Kakashi could clearly see by the way that he held his arm close to his body that his hurriedly relocated shoulder was giving him some trouble. Raido was likewise silent, blood already starting to seep through the thick layer of bandages wrapped around his thigh. Kakashi himself could barely see straight, his head throbbing rhythmically from the strain of using his Sharingan, the sound of his own breaths stabbing through his skull. Only Tenzou, the youngest shinobi on the team, appeared unscathed.<p>

That the mission had gone badly was a serious understatement. Their intel had been inaccurate, and the four man squad had found themselves attempting to complete a mission that should have been handled by three squads acting in conjunction. They'd managed to secure the intel but, wounded and severely outnumbered, had been forced to retreat rather than finish off the enemy ninja.

"Alright," Kakashi decided out loud, grabbing the branch above him as a gust of wind threw off his balance. "This is as good a place as any to stop."

"Are you kidding me?" Genma managed, wincing slightly as he brushed his injured shoulder against the trunk of the tree. He squinted against the rain that was coming down in sheets from the sky. "The storm is only getting worse. We need to take shelter."

Raido snorted. "And where do you propose we do that, genius? We're still too far from the border of the Land of Fire, and I honestly don't think my leg will carry me another step."

Kakashi didn't say anything, instead looking around to consider their options. Maybe if they took to the ground, they would be more sheltered from the rain.

"Hey kid, you haven't managed to pull that jutsu off yet, have you?" Genma asked Tenzou, who'd remained unsurprisingly quiet throughout the older shinobi's exchange.

Tenzou, who had yet to remove his mask, started slightly. "Uh, well-"

"It doesn't have to be a big house, you know," Raido encouraged. "Just a single room cottage or something like that. Nothing fancy."

"I haven't quite mastered it yet," came Tenzou's quiet, slightly embarrassed reply. He glanced at his senpai for help.

Kakashi shrugged. As much as he preferred not to push the kid, they were all injured and in this storm, they were out of options. "Couldn't hurt to at least try, Tenzou."

"Alright." The younger boy nodded, hands quickly forming a series of hand signs as he focused his attention on the ground just beneath their tree. "Mokuton, Four Pillar House Jutsu!"

Below them, wooden pillars sprung up from the ground, getting taller and weaving together. Tenzou was right to say he hadn't mastered the technique yet; the jutsu took much longer than it should have and the team could clearly watch each portion of the building being stitched together, from the floor to the walls and finally the slightly slanted roof. The finished building sat solidly in the ground among a light coating of splinters, about the size of a small one story house. Genma and Raido couldn't hold back their appreciative cries.

"You did it!" Raido exclaimed. He'd been watching Tenzou attempt this jutsu for weeks and while the house below wasn't much from a design perspective, at least it seemed to be holding.

Twirling the senbon in his mouth with his tongue, Genma shoved Tenzou lightly on the shoulder. "Nice work, kid."

Tenzou, for his part, didn't respond. His hands fell slackly out of their jutsu position and his legs seemed to buckle underneath him. Before any of the older shinobi could grab him, he slipped off the branch in a dead faint.

"Tenzou!" Kakashi shouted after his falling kohai, jumping down after the falling boy, even though he knew he wouldn't reach him in time. He cursed his Sharingan-induced daze and slow reaction time. If he had known that this jutsu took so much out of Tenzou, he never would have suggested he attempt it.

Kakashi was still too far away when Tenzou's limp body crashed onto the roof of the little house he'd managed to grow. He hit the wooden roof with a loud slamming sound, the force of the impact knocking his cat mask clean off his face. Calling his kohai's name again, Kakashi landed on the end of the roof and rushed to the still figure, immediately pressing an ear to the small chest to check his vitals.

"Kakashi!" Genma and Raido landed on the roof a second later, Raido staggering slightly at the force of the jump on his injured leg. "How is he?"

Kakashi raised his head and moved to hoist the younger boy onto his back. "Alive. I think he just passed out from exhaustion. Let's get inside. We all need to tend to our wounds."

Once inside, the team discovered that the house was a basic square with one thin hallway dividing two rooms. Genma and Raido took the room of the left while Kakashi laid down his still burden in the one on the right. The house was barren of any furniture, but it was relatively warm and dry, and Kakashi was just grateful to have a roof over his head. Setting both their Anbu masks aside, the captain frowned slightly at Tenzou before checking him over for injuries.

He found a small gash on the back of Tenzou's head, just under the band for his ridiculous face mask that was no doubt from the fall to the roof. Kakashi cleaned it thoroughly with the contents of his medkit before sewing the edges of the wound shut with a few quick stitches. It wasn't a particularly deep or worrying wound, but unless he wanted to wrap the young man's entire head in bandages, stitching it was easier. Moving on, Kakashi's sharp gaze went straight to a small tear in Tenzou's Anbu tactical vest, right above his hip.

"Kakashi," Raido murmured quietly, limping through the door. The bloody bandage around his leg had been replaced. "How's Tenzou?"

Kakashi eyed the scarred shinobi. "You should be resting that leg."

"Eh, I'll live," Raido said dismissively, resting a rather guilty gaze on the unconscious shinobi laid out before them. "I shouldn't have pushed Tenzou. I knew he hadn't finished working on that jutsu."

Kakashi shrugged, turning back to the task at hand. "What's done is done."

"What the-?"

Raido took the words right out of Kakashi's mouth. The captain lifted Tenzou's vest higher, revealing a large gash going diagonally across the top of the young man's hip bone. The single gauze patch that Tenzou had apparently placed hastily over the wound was completely saturated with blood, the red liquid seeping through even his black shirt to stain the inside of his tactical vest. Cursing quietly, Kakashi removed the vest and shirt all together and gently pulled off the saturated bandage.

Tenzou stirred in obvious pain, his eyes opening slightly. "Ngh… S-senpai?"

"Don't move, Tenzou," Kakashi ordered firmly, putting the old bandage to the side and dousing the wound in a generous amount of disinfectant. Tenzou went rigid at the stinging sensation, gasping sharply, but nevertheless obeyed and remained still. Kakashi prodded the wound gently. "This is deep and needs a medic's care. The best I can do for now is try to stop the bleeding. You still with us, Tenzou?"

Tenzou's eyelids were fluttered as he danced just beyond the grasp of unconsciousness. "Hhng… Y-yeah."

Kakashi went to work, pressing two thick gauze pads over the gaping wound before grabbing a roll of bandages. Raido moved to help, holding the younger shinobi upright so their captain could wrap the bandages around his middle. The scarred man clenched his jaw in frustration. "You little idiot. Why didn't you say something?"

"It d-didn't seem that bad at the t-time-" Tenzou cut himself off with a hitch of breath as Kakashi pulled the bandage tight.

"Liar," Raido growled.

Tenzou took a deeper breath this time, his face screwed up as he worked through the pain. "After the explosion… both you and Genma were pinned. It just seemed more important to get t-to you."

The angry look on Raido's face melted into one of affectionate shock. "Tenzou…"

"Raido." Kakashi stood, wiping the blood from his hands on the remaining length of bandage. "You should rest while we can and have Genma take first watch. As soon as the storm lets up, we'll have to move out and get Tenzou to medical treatment. Make sure Genma is aware of the situation."

Kakashi walked the scarred shinobi to the door of the room, placing one hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'll talk to him."

Sliding the door shut quietly, Kakashi turned back to look at Tenzou. The younger shinobi lay, upper body bare, on the wood floor shivering slightly from shock and blood loss. Shaking his head, Kakashi retrieved Tenzou's sleep roll from his pack and after laying it out on the floor, transferred his injured charge onto it. Finally alone with his senpai, Tenzou left out a soft moan of pain at the movement. Placing the injured shinobi down on the mat before pulling the thin regulation blanket over him, Kakashi sighed. How had the young man managed to keep moving with such an injury?

Not for the first time, Kakashi silently cursed those damned Anbu masks. Tenzou had been able to hide his now clearly pale face behind that impassive cat mask and with his Foundation training any other bodily manifestation of pain or fatigue. Damn that Danzo and his brainwashing techniques.

But if Kakashi was truly honest with himself, he should also curse his own lack of attention. Sure, the younger shinobi had seemed quiet, maybe even quieter than usual, but Kakashi was the great Copy Ninja of the Leaf, able to see through deceit in an instant. Had he really been so blind to his own comrade's farce, to the point that he almost let a young man push himself and bleed to death in front of him?

In an attempt to shake off these dark thoughts, Kakashi rolled out his own sleep mat directly beside Tenzou and lay down on his side, watching the younger shinobi breathe. He knew it was slightly ridiculous, given that they had an entire room in which they could spread out, but he wanted to be near his kohai, to make sure that he didn't die and leave him sometime during the night.

"A-are you going to watch me all night, S-Senpai?" Tenzou asked softly, a faint tone of amusement coloring his voice.

Kakashi ignored the question, instead countering with a disappointed statement. "You should have told me."

Tenzou closed his eyes briefly. "I know."

"As your captain, I should have known something was up. But if for some reason this happens again, and I don't notice, I have to be able to trust you to speak up for yourself and tell me something is wrong." Kakashi fixed his young companion with a pointed stare. "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Senpai." Tenzou gave a minute nod. "But the m-mission-"

"Screw the mission," Kakashi growled passionately, causing the other boy to start and look questioningly at him. "I mean it, Tenzou. You're not in the Foundation any more, not just another nameless body to be sacrificed for Danzo's twisted goals. You're the Hokage's Anbu, a member of my team, and my friend. And damn it, I'm not losing any more friends!"

_Friends._ Yes, Tenzou supposed he felt that too, supposed that was why he had been so frantic to get to Genma and Raido. Tenzou gave a small smile as his eyes slid shut in exhaustion. He was quiet and for a moment Kakashi though he'd fallen asleep. But then he spoke up, turning his head to look seriously into his senpai's visible eye. "Then as my friend, you c-cannot lie to me either. You need sleep, S-senpai."

Sleep. The word sounded like heaven, hanging heavily over his tired body. But Kakashi shook his head. "No, I need to watch you."

Forcing his arm to move, Tenzou gripped Kakashi's left hand and brought it to rest on his own chest, right over his heart. Kakashi could feel the slight heat of Tenzou's body radiating out from under the blanket, could feel the rise and fall of his chest with his breath and the fast but steady beating of his heart. Tenzou's eyes slid shut once more, his pain-pinched face relaxing somewhat.

"Sleep, Senpai. I will not g-go anywhere."

Fight it as he might, Kakashi did fall asleep, reassurred by the living warm under his hand. Despite the storm raging outside and the fear of losing his kohai, Hatake Kakashi managed to sleep until Raido roused him gently for his watch.

And, true to his promise, Tenzou did not go anywhere.


	4. Civilian for a Day

Tenzou's never celebrated his birthday, and Genma and the team are determined to change that.

[I think I literally gave myself a cavity writing this chapter. I honestly don't think I've ever written something so sweet in my life.]

[10.5.14 Little update. I got a comment about Genma's age, so I thought I'd just mention that for this chapter, the team's ages are the following: Tenzou - 16, Kakashi - 20, Genma - 23, and Raido -24. These obviously won't be the exact age gaps from the manga, but hey, this is my fic and I do what I want. :P]

* * *

><p>"I don't know."<p>

Genma gave the young Mokuton user a confused look. "What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know when your own birthday is?"

Tenzou shrugged, leaning back against his headboard and encouraging a little sprout to spring up from his palm. "I just don't. We never recognized birthdays in the Foundation. We simply age with the new year."

Genma was uncharacteristically quiet, causing Tenzo to look up in concern to find the senbon-loving shinobi staring at him, his mouth hanging open slightly. Before Tenzou could ask him what was wrong, the door to their dormitory room opened and Raido and Kakashi entered with sacks of lunch for the team. Handing Genma his portion, Raido raised an eyebrow at his friend's slack jawed look.

"What's up with you?"

Genma shook his head, though whether it was to pull himself together or in utter disbelief, Tenzou couldn't be sure. "Tenzou doesn't have a birthday."

Raido snorted out a laugh. "What are you talking about? Of course he does. He's alive, isn't he?"

"No shit, wiseass," Genma frowned, shoving the scarred shinobi so hard he almost slipped off Genma's bed. "What I mean is that he doesn't know when his birthday _is_."

"Really?" Kakashi asked from over on his own bed, his normally bored voice sounding vaguely interested.

Frankly, Tenzou didn't understand the fuss. He knew that when this year was over, he would be roughly sixteen years old, though Genma was right, he didn't know the exact day of his birth. There were a lot of things he didn't know about himself, like what family he had belonged to before getting captured by Orochimaru and whether or not his parents were still alive. He'd actually forgotten about the tradition of celebrating birthdays until joining Anbu and Team Hound. His new teammates were fiercely loyal to each other and apparently part of that friendship bond required remembering the day of each other's birth in order to feed them lavishly and occasionally give them new weapons or books.

They had celebrated Genma's twenty-third birthday just last week, and he had received a set of brand new stainless steel senbon from Raido and the new Icha Icha Paradise book from Kakashi. Tenzou had actually forgotten about this strange gift giving ritual, but had excused himself briefly to create an intricately carved wooden kunai. Ever since, Genma had been bothering Tenzou about his own birthday, noting that they had yet to celebrate with the Mokuton user even though he'd been a member of their team for nearly two years.

Tenzou shrugged and stood, eager to get away from his teammates and their prying, confusing questions. He walked toward the door, waving a hand behind him. "Stop worrying about it, Genma. I've never celebrated my birthday, so why start now?"

Tenzou probably intended that to be a reassuring statement, but after he left the room it hovered over his teammates like a dark cloud. Raido nudged the senbon-chewing shinobi at his side with a shoulder. "You shouldn't push him like that."

"I know," Genma grumbled, glaring down at the remainder of his lunch. "It's just… It's hard to imagine what Tenzou's childhood must have been like. No family, no friends, no birthdays… It makes me sick."

Raido gave his friend a fond smile. Genma was a skilled and ruthless Anbu shinobi and while he might act casual and coarse, he was fiercely loyal and cared deeply about all his friends. A sudden idea struck the scarred shinobi. "Well, then why don't we give Tenzou a real birthday?"

"What do you mean?" Genma asked. "We don't even know when his real birthday is."

"Then let's pick a date for him."

"Oh sure, and what date do you suggest?"

Raido frowned, thinking, and Kakashi decided his interest had been peeked. He hopped off his own bunk, coming to perch on the edge of Tenzou's bed across from his teammates. "Friday will mark two years since Tenzou joined our team."

Two pairs of eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Alright, we'll do it on Friday. What is that, August 10th? Unless something sudden comes up, they've already put out the mission roster for the week and we're all unscheduled. Maybe we can see about officially getting the day off…"

"How should we celebrate?" Raido asked, always one for getting to the heart of the matter. "Any ideas, captain?"

Kakashi paused, thinking. All shinobi were taught to enjoy the simple pleasures; it didn't take much more than a roof over their head, a warm meal, and a few good stories between friends to make most shinobi happy. Very few shinobi had the luxury of many material possessions, and Anbu agents in particular generally owned only what they could carry in their mission packs. Birthday presents usually consisted of practical items, like new shuriken or a fresh piece of cloth for their hitai-ate headbands.

So what could Tenzou's teammates do for him that was special enough to make him understand the importance of celebrating his birthday? As a member of Anbu, his gear and weapons were kept in good repair and he had access to a seemingly endless supply of shuriken and kunai. As far as Kakashi knew, his kohai didn't have any hobbies. Not that Danzo or the Council had ever allowed Tenzou the time as a child to play and discover his interests like everyone else.

_That's it._ Kakashi wanted to smack himself as though it was the most obvious answer in the world. For Tenzou's birthday they could give him the one thing he had never had: a day of being a normal citizen of Konoha. The captain quickly expressed this to his teammates, to mixed reactions. As expected, Genma looked enthusiastic about the idea while Raido looked slightly apprehensive.

"You want to take Tenzou into the village?" Raido asked hesitantly. "Don't get me wrong, I think the kid would get a kick out of it. But the Council will never allow it."

Damn, he'd forgotten about the Council and all their ridiculous restrictions on Tenzou's activities. Kakashi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest in resolve. "Leave the Council to me."

* * *

><p>"I'm afraid we don't understand."<p>

Kakashi sighed and internally counted to ten. He would most certainly not get any favors from the Council of Elders if he went off on them like he wanted to. Feeling his annoyance still simmering in his stomach, he explained again. "My team would like to take Tenzou into the village with us so that he can experience a taste of civilian life."

"Right," Lady Koharu said dubiously, pinching the bridge of her nose as though the simple proposition pained her. "And why the sudden desire to do this?"

Kakashi shifted slightly in embarrassment. "We intend to celebrate his birthday, m'Lady."

Hiruzen the Third gave Kakashi a piercing look, nursing his pipe, while Lord Danzo gave a gruff laugh. "Ridiculous. The Mokuton user has no birthday. Besides, it is far too dangerous to allow such an important asset to wander the Village freely."

"_Tenzou_," Kakashi replied, stiffening slightly in utter dislike of the speaker, "is more than capable of protecting himself and would be accompanied by the rest of my Anbu team. There would be no reason to reveal his Mokuton; he would simply be a civilian for the day. As for the date, my team and I plan to celebrate the day that he first joined our team. I find observing such dates to be important for team moral."

Lord Homura looked at Kakashi over the top of his glasses, his expression somewhat amused. "Team moral, huh? Why not build team moral on the Anbu grounds? Pick up food from the Village and celebrate there."

"With all due respect, my Lord," Kakashi replied swiftly, his face deadly serious. "It would be beneficial for Tenzou to experience civilian life. As a member of Anbu, he needs to be able to adapt to any situation and environment. As of right now, his understanding of social interactions are, shall we say, limited. You all know as well as I do that Anbu is not necessarily the best place to pick up the best social skills; a brief outing may prove most instructive."

The Council was silent, considering Kakashi's words. He could tell that he'd baited the old man Homura and although Hiruzen's face was carefully blank, his eyes glowed in amusement. Clearing his throat, the Hokage spoke up. "I for one, think it is a good idea."

"Of course you do," Danzo scoffed from across the table. "Again, let me remind you the dangers of revealing such an asset-"

"Oh, come now, Danzo." Hiruzen cut him off, sounding exasperated. "Kakashi just wants to show the boy around the Village, not to walk around showing off the Mokuton. Very few people even know that we have a Mokuton user in Anbu, let alone what Tenzou's face looks like."

Danzo opened his mouth to protest more, but the other two council members were already nodding. "Alright, it's settled. The Mokuton user may spend one day in the Village as a civilian, but he must not leave your sight, Hatake, and we're going to impose a nine pm curfew for this excursion. Should anything happen to the boy, you will be held directly responsible, do you understand?"

Kakashi nodded and bowed in grateful respect, glad that his mask made it difficult to see his smile. That hadn't been so hard after all.

* * *

><p>"Oi, Tenzou, wake up." Genma shook the sleeping young man lightly.<p>

Tenzou stirred and scrunched up his face in protest, although he almost immediately sat up, completely awake. Damn his training. "What's going on? I thought we had today off."

"We do," Raido confirmed from across the room, chucking a stack of clothes at the Mokuton user. "But we also have plans for today, so get up and put those on."

Tenzou held up the offered clothes to find a set of standard issue navy navy pants and long sleeve shirt along with a green green tactical vest. "I don't understand. This isn't my uniform."

"No, it's not," Kakashi answered tying his own hitai-ate headband around his head and pulling it down over his scarred eye. "But we can't have you wandering the Village dressed as Anbu, now, can we?"

"Wandering the Vil…" Tenzou trailed off, face lightly up as he looked up at Kakashi. "I get to go into the Village today? But the Council-"

"Don't worry about the Council," Kakashi assured his kohai. "I got us both the day off, but also permission to take you into the Village with us today. Now hurry up and get dressed so we can go."

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. Dressed in his borrowed uniform, Tenzou followed his teammates around the village, trying not to stare at the normal civilians around him as they went about their daily lives. The teammates hadn't planned anything too extreme, not wanting to tip Tenzou off about what they were actually doing and risk his shutting them down. So instead they simply ran a few errands, taking Tenzou into his first ever market and bookstore. As they wandered around, his teammates pointed out the various buildings and their significance and at one point Kakashi began to worry that Tenzou would have a serious crick in his neck at the end of the day from trying to take everything in at once.

As evening drew near, they met up with a few of their classmates from their academy days as planned. Gai, Kurenai and Asuma met them at a sweet shop where Tenzou tried his first sweet dumplings and met his first non-Anbu shinobi outside of the Hokage and Anbu support staff. There happened to be a small street fair going on, and Tenzou wandered each and every booth under the protective eye of Kakashi, openly amazed at just how much _stuff_ there was to buy and eat. He even made his very first purchase, a little decorative spinning top that Kakashi didn't have the heart to tell him was terribly over-priced. They ended the day by treating Tenzou to his first ever restaurant experience at the barbeque shop. The Mokuton user's teammates couldn't remember the last time they'd eaten dinner this early, but given that they had been lucky to get the permission of the Council at all they decided not to push their luck and carefully abide by the nine o'clock curfew.

Bowl raised slightly to cover his face in place of his mask, Kakashi watched as Tenzou chewed absently on his barbequed meat, completely absorbed in whatever ridiculous story Gai was now telling. Genma and Raido were egging the taijutsu user on with eyerolls and wisecracks. The birthday boy looked practically radiant in his borrowed uniform surrounded by his teammates and their friends. Kakashi could only hope that he had enjoyed his day as a normal citizen of Konoha and wished not for the first time that the Council wouldn't restrict him so much.

As Gai's story wound down, Genma elbowed Raido hard in the ribs and the scarred shinobi cleared his throat. "So, Tenzou, what'd you think of today?"

"It was great," Tenzou said, genuine happiness shining in his brown eyes. "Thank you guys for allowing me to tag along with you."

"Don't be ridiculous, kid, it's your birthday," Raido stated matter of factly, reaching down to pick up the wrapped package from his side. "And we've got a few gifts here for you to open."

Accepting the package as it was passed across the table, Tenzou looked completely stunned. "My birthday? But… You guys didn't have to do all this."

Raido laughed, waving off his protests. "Just open it."

Tenzou ripped off the paper almost cautiously, as though he'd never been faced with such a task before. Which, Kakashi mused, he probably hadn't. Underneath the brown paper was a compact yet thick hardcover book with the title embossed in gold on the cover. Tenzou flipped through it hurriedly in interest. "'The Fundamentals of Architecture and Design?'"

"I've noticed you've been playing around with your building design a little," Raido shrugged. The scarred shinobi had always been particularly interested in Tenzou's Mokuton skills. "Thought it might give you a little inspiration."

Tenzou's face lit up as he looked flipped through the book, taking in the glossy pictures. "Thank you, Raido."

"Alright, alright, read it later," Genma whined, tossing a slightly larger package at the startled Mokuton user. "That one's from me."

Tenzou unwrapped the awkwardly wrapped package to find a green drawstring pouch. Looking slightly confused, he opened it slightly and pulled out a strange tiny purple cube. "Uh, Genma?"

"It's a chakra supplement," Genma explained. "They're twice the strength of our regulation food pills and ration bars. We all know using your Moku- erm, your technique takes twice as much chakra as any standard jutsu, so I figured that means you just need twice the nutrients. It's no fun dragging your heavy butt back to the village every other mission."

Nodding in understanding, Tenzou dropped the supplement back into the pouch. Kakashi could tell that even the still slightly socially-inept young shinobi had caught the real words hidden in Genma's casual speech. _I get worried when you work yourself to exhaustion, so I wanted to make sure you never do it again._ "Wow. Thanks, Genma."

"Don't worry about it, kid."

Gai suddenly leaned forward over the table, capturing Kurenai and Asuma in a one armed hug. "Young Tenzou, because we had not met yet, we do not have a gift for you to open. But we can offer you the best gift ever, the gift of FRIENDSHIP!"

The taijutsu user ended his brief speech a bit louder than necessary, causing everyone in the party to wince and the restaurant's other customers to lean out of their own cubicles to stare at them. Even still, Tenzou looked honored and inclined his head slightly. "Thank you, Gai. I can only hope that I am worthy of your friendship."

Nobody really knew how to respond to that, so they all turned to look pointedly at Kakashi instead. The young Anbu captain was notoriously horrible at birthday gifts. He either gave gifts that were completely irrelevant to the receiver or forgot entirely. His teammates were hoping that because it was Tenzou's first ever birthday celebration, he had at least tried a little harder than normal. Kakashi suppressed a smirk; boy would he ever show them wrong.

"Tenzou," Kakashi said, reaching under the table and withdrawing a long, slim box. "I know shinobi have no real need for anything other than practical gifts, but I saw this and… immediately thought of you."

Eyes widening, Tenzou opened the box with an almost reverent silence and the rest of the group leaned forward to get a good look. Inside was the most beautiful sword any of the them had ever seen. The blade was sharp and thin, engraved with a design of interweaving vines. The hilt was a striking carving of a twisting tree, its branches traveling slightly up the blade.

Tenzou's breath caught in his throat, and he gently lifted the beautiful sword out of the box, raising it slightly to everyone could see. "S-senpai. It's beautiful. Thank you."

After admiring the blade himself, Tenzou passed it around to the other shinobi, who handled it serious care and respect. Kakashi smiled behind his mask; yep, he'd shown them. That was when he noticed that Tenzou sat slightly slouched over, fisted hands pressed into his legs, shaking slightly. But it was the young man's face that took Kakashi most off guard. Tenzou looked vaguely distressed and confused, tears rolling down his smooth cheeks from his intense almond eyes.

Kakashi leaned forward to put a hand on his kohai's arm. "Tenzou, what's wrong?"

As Tenzou looked up at his captain, a tear dripped down onto his hand. His look of confusion increased and he raised a hand to his face, feeling the liquid running down his cheeks. "I'm...crying?"

Everyone else was now looking at the two shinobi, and Kakashi struggled not to laugh at the sudden look of horror and embarrassment that came over Tenzou's face. Sixteen years old or not, the young man was still so innocent, so new to normal human interactions and emotions. If Kakashi had to guess, Tenzou had probably only ever cried a handful of times before, if that many.

"How can I be crying?" Tenzou mumbled, rubbing at his eyes in what seemed like annoyance. "People cry when they are sad, and I am not- I have never been so happy before. So why am I crying?"

Genma and Raido smiled fondly at their dense little Mokuton user. Genma laughed, reaching across the table to ruffle the young man's brown hair. "People cry when they're happy too, doofus."

Kakashi watched as Tenzou continued to fight the tears, his expression caught halfway between a genuine smile and a complete meltdown. His kohai was clearly overwhelmed and confused by all the care that had been shown for him today, and the thought that Tenzou had never had anyone show him such basic kindness made Kakashi want to kill somebody. He'd start with Orochimaru for kidnapping and experimenting on Tenzou as a child, then Danzo for taking advantage of the orphaned survivor and sucking him into the darkness that was the Foundation. Heck, so long as he was hypothetically killing people who'd hurt his kohai, Kakashi would take out the Council of Elders as well. As far as he was concerned, their insistence on restricting Tenzou within the confines of Anbu was almost as bad as the isolation he'd faced in the Foundation. And he might smack the Lord Third around a bit for allowing it all to happen, too.

"It's alright to cry, kohai," Kakashi murmured, confirming Genma's words. "Shinobi or not, it's part of being human. We're just glad that that you enjoyed yourself today."

Tenzou nodded, pulling himself together somewhat. "Senpai, everyone, thank you for making today… well, if I'm honest, it was probably the best day of my life. Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, I do not know when I will be able to see you again, but I will forever be grateful for your offer of friendship."

"Genma, Raido, Senpai…" Tenzou glanced at his teammates, blushing slightly. "I have heard many people talk about their families and I never really understood before. But now I think I might."

Genma slung an arm around a blushing Raido and gave their younger teammate a blinding grin around the senbon still clenched between his teeth. Asuma and Kurenai were smiling although they looked a little unclear about what Tenzou was talking about, while Gai was flopped down on the table, crying about the beauty of youth and the meaning of true friendship. Kakashi simply smiled behind his mask, feeling his chest grow warm and expand with a very un-Kakashi-like feeling of wanting to hug every single person in the room. In front of him, Tenzou laughed nervously and swiped at his eyes with the back of one hand.

That kid had gotten to him bad.


	5. Invisible Scars

You guys are seriously killing me with such kind reviews! I'm so glad people are enjoying this story.

Tenzou doesn't like the water, and the rest of Team Hound learns that not all scars are visible.

* * *

><p>In retrospect, Kakashi should have seen it coming. Team Hound had had an exceptional couple of months, completing several A and S ranked missions without a hitch, returning to base with minor to no injuries and in a timely fashion to boot. Kakashi couldn't remember the last time missions had gone so smoothly and was positive that this was their longest "no-injury streak" ever. With both a Sharingan and Mokuton user on the same team, going two months without a single case of chakra exhaustion was practically unheard of.<p>

So, really, Kakashi should have known the other shoe was going to drop eventually.

In reward for their outstanding performance, Team Hound was given nearly a week off, which they tried to take full advantage of. Normally, temporary leave was reserved for punishments or emergency situations, but the higher ups had simply stated that they didn't want the top team to get burnt out. Unfortunately, Kakashi hadn't been able to convince the Council of Elders to release Tenzou to him for the week, which foiled their plans of hanging out in the village like normal young shinobi.

Although, Kakashi thought as he settled more comfortably against the trunk of a tree, this wasn't half bad either. The team had decided to take advantage of both the time off and unseasonably hot weather to visit a small lake that was located a few hours north of Anbu headquarters. Kakashi was stretched out in the sun with his well-worn copy of Icha-Icha Paradise while Genma and Raido were taking turns jumping off the small dock that Tenzou had grown for them upon arrival. Said brunette was sitting further back on the platform, laughing and watching his teammate's unofficial competition progress from who could make the largest splash to who could complete the most complicated backflip into the lake.

In his seat on the dock, Tenzou smiled and sighed, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on his bare back. Everyone but Kakashi had stripped down to their undergarments, and Tenzou had a sneaking suspicion that Kakashi just hadn't wanted to remove his mask. Putting his captain's strange personality out of his mind, he closed his eyes and leaned back to let the sun fall on his face.

The peaceful bliss only lasted a minute before a splash of cold water hit his face, causing Tenzou to jump slightly. His eyes snapped open and he mentally restrained himself from flinching as the cold liquid rolled down his face. Genma was laughing while Raido waved from behind him.

"Oi, Tenzou, come on in!"

Tenzou looked at the body of water around him and shook his head. He wasn't the biggest fan of water. Granted, he appreciated it for hygiene purposes and knew how to swim - because what's the point of a shinobi who can't swim? - but he generally avoiding voluntarily submerging himself in the stuff. It brought back too many partial memories of being cold, wet, and alone…

"Oh come on," Genma urged, treading water easily and misinterpreting Tenzou's shiver. "The water's not that cold."

"No, really, I think I'm good." Tenzou shook his head slightly, keeping his voice firm. Genma simply smiled at him, and Tenzou noticed the change too late. Wait, hadn't Raido been right behind Genma just a second-

Suddenly strong arms were wrapping around Tenzou and he gave a cry of surprise, scrambling to hold on to something. But Raido's body was wet and slick and he couldn't get a grasp before the older shinobi gave a strong heave and Tenzou went flying into the water below.

He made the mistake of gasping harshly as he hit the cold water and his head went under. Water rushed into his nose and mouth, choking him, and when he finally opened his eyes, everything was blurred. It was just like his nightmares. Tenzou struggled, and a few strong kicks later broke the surface, coughing violently as he struggled to pull air into his lungs.

There was a strange rushing in his ears and he could barely hear Genma and Raido laughing. A hand found it's way to the top of his head and pushed him under again. Tenzou suddenly felt frantic, his heart beating rapidly. There was water in his eyes and his nose and his mouth and his ears… No, he couldn't do this again!

Tenzou's yelp caused Kakashi to look up just in time to see his kohai go flying through the air and into the lake. He chuckled along with Genma and Raido when the young man surfaced, sputtering and coughing, thinking Tenzou should have known that he couldn't avoid being drawn into his teammate's shenanigans forever. The captain was just returning to his book when another explosion of water sounded, and Genma gave a strangled howl.

"W-what the hell, Tenzou?!"

Looking up, Kakashi saw that Tenzou's arm had completely transformed into a series of thick wooden tendrils which were currently wrapped around the struggling Genma. The older shinobi struggled in his cramped position before actually crying out in pain as the wooden bindings began to shrink, squeezing him. Kakashi frowned and got to his feet; something wasn't right.

"Oi, Tenzou, what're you doing?" Raido asked angrily, stroking through the water toward the Mokuton user, one hand reaching out in front to grab Tenzou's shoulder. "It was just a joke!"

But before Raido could come any closer, Tenzou raised his other hand and a sharp wood spear burst from it, piercing through Raido's shoulder. "Don't touch me!"

Raido grunted at the impact, blood already darkening the water around him. Kakashi strode across the dock, book safely stowed away and stern look on his face. He looked from Raido, holding his bleeding shoulder to Genma, still struggling in his constricting wooden prison. He turned a glare on the young Anbu between his men. "Tenzou! Release them!"

Tenzou looked up at his captain as though startled, and Kakashi had a split second to take in the strangely blank look in his eyes before the silver-haired shinobi was knocked backward in an explosion of wood. He struck his head sharply on the dirt behind him.

"Captain!" He heard Genma yell, and he struggled to sit up only to smash his head again on the small wooden dome surrounding him. What the hell was Tenzou thinking, attacking his teammates like this? Luckily for him, he knew exactly how to escape Tenzou's wooden prison.

Chidori danced in his palm as he sprung out of the wooden dome just in time to see Tenzou swing both arms and send his two older teammates smashing into the packed dirt of the lake shore. A surge of water rose and lifted Tenzou up on to the dock, where he stood panting, his stance wary and untrusting.

Kakashi stepped forward to meet him, calling back to the other men. "Genma, Raido, you alright?"

Raido groaned slightly, hand pressed against his shoulder in an attempt to stem the bleeding, and Genma looked a bit dazed from the impact with the ground. But he nodded. "Yeah, we'll live."

Satisfied, Kakashi turned his attention back to his dripping kohai and took a tentative step forward. Tenzou reacted immediately, two short pointed wooden stakes, almost like batons, erupting from his palms. Kakashi stopped moving, deciding to try a different approach.

"Tenzou," he said cautiously, voice placating. "I don't know what you're doing, but we're not your enemies. Stand down."

This close, he could now see that Tenzou was shuddering, his whole frame shaking violently and his face flushed. Both of his pupils were severely dilated and he shook his head slightly, as if to dispel Kakashi's words.

"I'm not listening to any more of your lies," the Mokuton user spat venomously, raising both his weapons. "You'll never take me back!"

Kakashi pivoted on his heel sharply, raising his leg in a high kick to block Tenzou's swipe with his wooden spikes. Tenzou swung his other hand and Kakashi sprung forward onto his hands, pressing close to the ground briefly to avoid the attack and then sweeping his legs around in an attempt to knock Tenzou off balance. He managed to clip one of the younger shinobi's ankles but a wooden tendril burst out of the ground to steady Tenzou at the last second. Kakashi leaped back, eager to put distance between the two and the wooden tendril was fast to follow, shooting upward through the sky and curling around his ankle.

He cursed softly as the tendril slammed him to the ground. He landed in a crouched roll, which helped to ease the impact somewhat, but Kakashi still felt the his bones ja uncomfortably. Climbing to his feet, Kakashi found himself already caught in another Mokuton trap, roots springing up from the ground to hold him in place. A sharp battle cry caused him to look up to find Tenzou leaping at him, his wooden spikes merging into one thick wooden sword.

Damn, the kid was fast. Kakashi barely had time to throw his arms up in front of his face, his forearms taking the blow instead of his head. All the same, he was pretty sure Tenzou had actually managed to fracture one of his wrists. Kakashi didn't know what had made the Mokuton user snap, but he was obviously fighting with an intent to do serious harm, if not kill. He needed to end this soon.

Arms still raised in front of him and legs still immobilized by roots, Kakashi swiped at Tenzou with a sudden burst of Chidori. The jutsu had an explosive impact with Tenzou's wooden broadsword, knocking the younger man back. Still moving, Kakashi used Chidori to free himself from his bonds and sprung after his kohai. The shinobi collided in midair, Kakashi grabbing onto Tenzou's arms and forcing them apart to prevent him from forming another sword.

The pair crashed to the ground, Kakashi on top of Tenzou, pinning him down by maintaining a firm grasp on the Mokuton user's arms. Tenzou was thrashing, trying to kick his senpai off and Kakashi had no choice but to slam his own knee into the younger shinobi's diaphragm, hard. Tenzou gave a strangled cry of pain and his struggles ceased momentarily as he tried to gasp air back into his lungs. Taking advantage of his kohai's distraction, Kakashi reached up and removed the covering from his scarred eye. He hated to do this, but the younger shinobi wasn't giving him any other choice. Tenzou was more than a match for the silver haired shinobi, and this was the only way to guarantee that neither of them would get hurt.

Kakashi opened his and and activated the Sharingan, boring his gaze into Tenzou's and causing the young man to go slack in his grasp. After pausing to make sure the the jutsu was holding, Kakashi released his grip on Tenzou's wrists to sit back on his heels and breathe heavily. Footsteps disturbed the dirt around him and he looked up into the eyes of a very confused Raido and Genma.

The younger of the two swirled a senbon lightly between his teeth, a nervous habit. "What the hell was that?"

* * *

><p>Kakashi stood in one of the broad hallways of the Hokage's residence, leaning casually against the wall. Beside him, Raido and Genma fidgeted quietly. Their Anbu masks were securely in place, preventing the captain from reading their expressions.<p>

After Tenzou's sudden freak out, the team had had no option other than to cut their leave short and return to Anbu headquarters to report the incident and see to their injuries. About a day after returning, Kakashi and the two senior members of Team Hound received an official summons from the Hokage. They left Tenzou in the capable hands of Anbu's medics who were keeping the suddenly volatile Mokuton user in a separate recovery room where he was both sedated and restrained.

Remembering the blank yet simultaneously terrified look in Tenzou's eyes, Kakashi suppressed a shudder. Something was obviously very wrong with his kohai, and he wanted answers _now_.

As if in response to Kakashi's impatience, the door to the Hokage's office swung open, and one of his aids motioned to the Anbu team. "Lord Third will see you now."

Team Hound filed into the office and knelt respectfully just in front of the raised platform where the Hiruzen Sarutobi sat, drafting a document at his low desk. The Anbu members remained perfectly quiet and still, waiting to be acknowledged.

A quiet chuckle startled all three teammates into raising their heads. The Third was looking at them fondly. "My, my. Never did I expect to send you on leave only to have you return with more injuries."

It was true; the remaining members of the team did look fairly rough. Raido's shoulder was wrapped in a layer of bandages and Kashi had a thick brace on his fractured wrist. Only Genma bore no outward sign of injury, though the Third was perceptive enough to see from his ginger stance that his bruised ribs were still bothering him.

Hiruzen waved at them slightly. "Please, sit. I owe you an explanation, and this may take a while."

"Sir?" Kakashi asked on behalf of the whole team as they hesitantly relaxed from their respectful stances to sit cross legged on the floor.

The Third likewise settled himself into a more comfortable position, lighting his pipe. "It's time you knew the truth about your comrade Tenzou. Kakashi, you may already know some of this, but I hope you will bear with me all the same."

"It is common knowledge that there are no known living members of the Senju clan and there have been no Mokuton users since the First Hokage. It is a power widely sought after because, as I am sure you've all experienced, it is so widely adaptable. The Mokuton can be used for everything from building an entire village without having to cut down a single tree to taming the Tailed Beasts."

Kakashi felt his teammates stiffen beside him and knew that, if Hiruzen had not already shared this information with him years before, he would also be completely surprised. Pausing to take a pull from his pipe, the old man continued. "For years many abroad and here in the Leaf sought to replicate that power using Hashirama's preserved cells. There were many waves of experimentation, injecting the cells into willing shinobi, all of whom hoped to become a vessel for such amazing power. Unfortunately, the Mokuton is not such an easy power to control. At it's core, the Mokuton is pure, creative life force, and the volunteer's bodies were not strong enough to contain it. After years of unsuccessful implantation attempts and a rising body count, the Leaf's official experiments were called off and Hashirama's cells locked away."

"Of course, some were not so easily dissuaded," Hiruzen said, his face darkening. "My former student, Orochimaru, was one of them. He began conducting his own experiments to try and recreate the Mokuton, kidnapping villagers and shinobi to serve as his test subjects."

Even with his mask on, Raido seemed distressed. "Are you saying that Tenzou-"

"That's right," Hiruzen nodded. "16 years ago there was a series of attacks on smaller communities located around the Leaf village, in which many villagers were slaughtered and their infant children kidnapped. We cannot be certain which of those communities or families Tenzou is from, but we believe that he is from a small village to the east which was believed to be home to the last remaining descendants of Hashirama and the Senju clan. We believe that faint bloodline may have been the only thing to keep Tenzou alive."

"What do you mean?" Genma sounded confused.

Hiruzen sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "When Orochimaru's facility was discovered, we found the bodies of at least 60 children. Tenzou was the only survivor."

"How long?" Kakashi asked quietly, almost dreading to know the answer. "How long were Tenzou and the other children kept there?"

"Until he was six years old, when Danzo found Tenzou alive and abandoned and took him into the Foundation," Hiruzen said, lifting his pipe to his mouth again. "Of course, this all fell under Lord Danzo's jurisdiction as a matter of the highest discretion, and I only found out about it in retrospect. Orochimaru had injected each infant with Hashirama's cells directly in the spinal cord, operating on the theory that as the children grew and their nervous system developed, the Mokuton cells would merge with their own and manifest the First's abilities. Unfortunately for most of the children, this wasn't the case. The power of the Mokuton was just too great for their tiny bodies and they all died, one after another."

Kakashi closed his eyes in regret, imagining the fear a young Tenzou must have felt, watching his companions dying all around him, constantly wondering if he was next.

"Lord Hokage," Genma spoke again, though his tone was tentative. "While we are honored to be trusted with this information, I don't understand what this has to do with what happened to Tenzou at the lake."

"We do not know what exactly Orochimaru did to his test subjects, and I highly doubt we ever will," Hiruzen answered patiently. "I highly doubt his experimentation ended with the initial injection. It is safe to assume that he was always tinkering, always prodding the children with treatments. The only thing we know for sure was that he kept his subjects suspended in some sort of chemical solution at all times."

"The medics believe that Tenzou's contact with the lake triggered some sort of a flashback of his imprisonment. His violent actions were a temporary response to his belief that you were trying to take him back to Orochimaru. You mustn't blame him for your injuries; he was not in control of himself. However, it is imperative you are aware of these facts to prevent similar incidents in the future."

The members of Team Hound shifted uncomfortably, and Hiruzen quickly saw the cause. The Anbu felt guilty for bringing on the flashback. The Hokage wanted to reassure them, but he was not in the habit of coddling his shinobi. "It was only a matter of time before Tenzou's memory of his time with Orochimaru began coming back to him. Quite frankly, a weaker psyche would have been lost to the darkness long ago."

Kakashi inclined his head to the side questioningly. "Lost to the darkness?"

Hiruzen nodded, his wise gaze seeming to look past Kakasi's hound mask and into his very soul. "You of all people know of what I speak, Hatake. Tenzou has every right to fall into dispair. His family was murdered, his body violated and experimented on against his will, his very identity stripped from him. And yet he fights on because that is all he knows how to do. All you can do for Tenzou as his teammates is to stay beside him and keep him firmly in the light."

As Team Hound took their leave, each member quietly made their way back to Anbu headquarters by separate routes, weighed down with heavy thoughts.

Upon returning to Anbu headquarters, Kakashi went straight to the infirmary to check on Tenzou. He found the Mokuton user awake and much calmer than before. The younger shinobi didn't look Kakashi when he entered the recovery room, keeping his scowling gaze fixed carefully on the ceiling instead.

Kakashi came to stop at the foot of his kohai's bed. When he spoke, be kept his voice low. "Hey."

Tenzou glanced at him, his face carefully blank and his eyes unreadable. "You went to see Lord Hokage."

"Yes," Kakashi replied honestly. "We were all summoned."

"Hm." Kakashi watched as Tenzou's arms strained slightly against the thick leather straps that secured his arms to the bed on either side of his head. "And he told you everything."

Kakashi didn't respond, letting his silence speak for him.

"Don't," Tenzou said quietly, his hands curling into shaking fists. "Don't look at me like that."

Kakashi reached down to place a hand on his kohai's knee. "Tenzou..."

Tenzou jerked and tried to twist out of his grasp, his movements restricted by by the restraints on his arms and legs. "I don't need your pity."

The strained tone of Tenzou's voice about broke Kakashi's heart. So he continued to stand at the foot of the bed, even when Tenzou turned his face away, his body shaking with silent sobs. Kakashi had never considered himself a very uplifting person; he had too much guilt, too many ghosts. But if the Hokage honestly believed he could keep Tenzou from falling into the darkness, then Kakashi would stay by his kohai's side whether he was wanted or not.


	6. Targeted

Finally, I am back with an update! I had originally planned for something light and fluffy between this arc and the chapter 5, but apparently I'm incapable of writing fluff right now, so have some serious angst instead!

Here, Tenzou is 17 y/o.

WARNING: this chapter is definitely more brutal and gory than the others, so if you're bothered by mentions of blood, torture, and attempted suicide, turn back now.

* * *

><p>Tenzou is the Leaf's last line of defense. Sometimes this means defending the Village even from himself.<p>

* * *

><p>The sharp sounds of metal against metal rang through the clearing, accompanied by shouts of pain and anger. Kakashi fought ferociously, Hound mask pushed to the side of his face as he used his Sharingan against anyone within range. He could feel Genma and Raido's presence close behind him; the two friends had somehow managed to stay fairly close together and were still fighting as one deadly unit. Genma also had his Anbu mask slung to the side, spitting senbon at the enemy with deadly accuracy.<p>

Tenzou was just across the clearing, his arm erupting in several sharp wooden spikes that he used to keep his enemy at bay. That's when Kakashi noticed just how far he was from his kohai, and how the enemy shinobi kept keeping him from advancing toward the Mokuton user. He'd been so focused on simply defeating their attackers that he hadn't noticed how far he was getting pushed from Tenzou.

Pulling his katana roughly out of his current opponent's body, Kakashi called to his teammates. "Hawk, Scar, get closer to Shodai! Something's not right."

There were two dull thuds behind him as two more of the unmarked shinobi fell to the ground, one pierced through the throat with one thick needle and the other falling to Raido's deadly blade. Glancing briefly at each other, all three Anbu fell into a loose formation and charged toward their youngest member.

Tenzou was holding his own, but he didn't understand where all these shinobi kept coming from. He didn't sense anyone hiding in the trees around the clearing, but every time he cut one down, another seemed to take their place. Ducking out of the range of a shuriken attack, Tenzou was breathing hard and was beginning to feel the strain of using his Mokuton. His lower abdomen throbbed painfully where he'd taken a shallow stab from his opponent's katana in the initial ambush. His team had been traveling at a fast pace for nearly a week, hurrying to return to Konoha with fresh intel on the situation on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Mist. They were already worn from the fast pace and more than a week of sleeping on the ground and eating ration pills when they had been attacked.

Concentration slipping, Tenzou took a cracking blow to the back of the head, sending him staggering to his knees with a surprised grunt. He saw the glint of a blade above his head and rolled, quickly forming a broad wooden shield on one arm to fend off the blow. But he wasn't expecting the blow to be so hard that his shield simply shattered and was still stunned when he felt the sharp blade pierce right through his thigh muscle, pinning him to the ground. Sprawled on the ground on his stomach, Tenzou struggled against the pain, a strangled scream leaving his lips.

Then somebody was on top of him, grasping his throat tightly with fingers tipped with cool metal claws. The fingers squeezed and Tenzou cried out again, feeling the sharp claws piercing the skin of his neck through his shirt. He blearily realized he was grateful for his Anbu mask, as it was currently the only thing preventing his face from being ground harshly into the dirt.

"Shodai!"

Suddenly the body on top of him went hurtling to the side, two shuriken in its chest and a senbon needle sticking out of one eye. Tenzou's teammates surrounded him in a defensive formation and looking up, he could see the remaining unmarked shinobi take a slight step back to regroup. Kakashi glanced down at Tenzou worriedly. "Are you alright, Shodai?"

Tenzou wanted to laugh at the ridiculous question. Surely his captain could see that he was pinned to the ground with a freaking sword through his leg; no he was not alright. But he knew what Kakashi really wanted to know and he grunted in acknowledgement. "I'm alive."

Kakashi nodded, the Hound mask swinging precariously on the side of his head. "Good, let's keep it that way. Hawk, Scar-"

But the silver-haired shinobi didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before something exploded and the whole team was enveloped in a thick, noxious smoke. Still unable to move, Tenzou coughed harshly, eyes blurred and tearing. He strained his ears, hoping to hear something, anything to predict where the next attack would come from. Something rustled in the trees. Above him?

Twisting awkwardly, Tenzou somehow managed to pull the sword from his leg, blood spraying everywhere as he did so. Ignoring the pain best he could, Tenzou forced himself into a sloppy army crawl in the direction of the treeline. Reaching the first possible tree, he forcefully merged himself with it before popping out the other side and slumping against the trunk weakly. Forcing his shaking hands into one of his supply packs, he retrieved a thick roll of bandages which he wrapped hurriedly around his leg, trying to stem the bleeding. Out of immediate danger, Tenzou stretched out his senses, searching for his team's chakra signatures.

Nothing, he felt absolutely nothing. Heart lurching painfully, Tenzou peered around the side of the tree and saw the bodies of his teammates laying unmoving among the corpses of their enemies. He suddenly felt light headed, and it wasn't from the blood loss. No, it couldn't be…

"Where'd the Mokuton user go?" A raspy voice spoke, as three of the unmarked shinobi jumped back down into the clearing from the trees, looking completely unscathed. Tenzou froze completely, willing his breathing to slow and quiet as he strained to listen.

"He's not here," a female voice responded.

"Then get looking for him," the raspy voice ordered. "We can't possibly return without his body. It's out of the question."

This time a third voice answered, and his words made Tenzou run cold. "It can't be too hard to find him, not when I can smell his blood."

Pressing back against the tree, Tenzou shuddered in fear. This was all about… him? Did they want his Mokuton? He thought back to the last meeting he'd had with the Third Hokage, directly before coming on this mission. They had actually be discussing a situation exactly like this, in which Tenzou was targeted for his unique abilities. He was well aware of how formidable and dangerous a weapon the Mokuton would be in the wrong hands, and they had agreed on the necessity of placing a sealing jutsu on Tenzou that would seal away the Mokuton in the event of his death or capture. It would need to be a jutsu that would destroy his body completely and it was taking the Third longer than expected to find a seal that would destroy Tenzou's body as instantaneously and painlessly as possible.

Now Tenzou wished they hadn't held off, that they had placed any kind of destructive seal on him because now he had to figure out what to do himself. Could he simply merge into the tree and hide until they gave up? Measuring his chakra reserves, Tenzou realized the idea was futile. He didn't have enough chakra to maintain the merge for long enough and the ground was already saturated in his blood, which was going to draw the right to him. Feeling himself begin to hyperventilate, Tenzou quickly ran through a mental list of his supplies. He'd lost his katana sometime during the fight and had used up all his shuriken. He was sure he still had a few kunai and his whole stash of paper bombs…

_That's it._ Swallowing hard against the bile rising in his throat at the thought of what he was about to do, Tenzou pulled out the stack of manual-trigger paper bombs he always kept in his weapons pouch. All he had to do was place a few of these on his body, wait until they got close enough, and he could take them all out at once while sealing away the secret of the Mokuton forever. Thinking rapidly, Tenzou frowned. No good; the enemy clearly wasn't stupid. They'd either be able to recognize the paper bombs from far enough away or would simply restrain him and remove them. Tenzou needed a way to ensure that they could not stop him from detonating the paper bombs.

A sudden idea came to Tenzou's mind. It was so horrifyingly brilliant that he actually gagged and turned hurriedly to the side, losing the few meager contents of his stomach on the forest floor. Then, struggling for some semblance of control, Tenzou straightened up gasping for breath and reached for a kunai.

* * *

><p>Kakashi cursed under his breath for what felt like the millionth time as he and his teammates crawled through the tight ventilation shaft. He could feel Tenzou's chakra signature up ahead and although it was faint, it was still there.<p>

Back in the clearing, Kakashi, Raido, and Genma had just reached their fallen teammate when something exploded at their feet, throwing them into the air and away from each other. Quite frankly, none of the three were exactly sure what had happened. All they could remember was slamming into the ground in a cloud of acrid smoke and then waking up to find the clearing covered in blood and Tenzou nowhere in sight.

Amazingly, none of the them had been seriously hurt which, coupled with Tenzou's apparent capture, lead them to believe that this had been a direct attack on the Mokuton user. Luckily, with Kakashi's nose and their combined tracking skills, it hadn't taken them too long to find the unmarked shinobi's trail and they had followed it to a large compound of metal buildings. That was where the trouble came in. There were guards everywhere and it had taken nearly two days of careful observation and investigation before they had formulated a plan that was likely enough to succeed.

The first step had involved causing an explosion at the electrical plant on the edge of the compound. With a little help from an extra large chidori strike, the plant had not only shorted out, but burst into flames. As expected, the guards were immediately called to the emergency site and the remaining members of Team Hound had managed to slip quietly over to the large building in the center of the compound where they had determined Tenzou must have been held. They entered through an air vent on the roof, and had been systematically searching the building for Tenzou's familiar chakra signature.

Kakashi was pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden spike in chakra just below him and an accompanying chill down his spine. Closing his eyes, he sensed again and… "We found him."

The three shinobi made short work of the air duct panel and after assuring themselves that there was no one else in the room, jumped down onto the cool metal floor. The entire room was frigid, their breath visible in short puffs of vapor right before their eyes. Not that the Anbu noticed, their attention focused solely on their young teammate who was suspended in the middle of the room by chains around his arms.

Tenzou's head hung limply, his shoulders straining awkwardly to hold his body weight as his toes just barely grazed the floor. His face was bruised and swollen, as were his fingers, no doubt as an attempt to stop him from making hand signs. Not that he would have been able to anyways, his wrists completely immobilized by the chain cuffs. Kakashi could barely hear Tenzou's shallow breathing over the sickening sound of blood slowly dripping from his saturated pant leg and uniform shirt into the already red puddle on the floor.

Beside him, Kakashi felt Genma's whole body tense. "What the hell?"

The most shocking thing about Tenzou's state was the numerous sharp wooden stakes that were sticking out of both his chest and back. The teammates had all seen this before, had all been pushed back by a surprise wooden stake springing from Tenzou's chest in sparring matches. But now it seemed almost like a last defense, as if Tenzou wanted to prevent anyone from getting any closer to him and his Mokuton had simply exploded.

Then the injured shinobi coughed, breaking the spell and urging his teammates into action. Kakashi immediately took charge, pushing his emotions aside for the time being. What was most important was getting his injured kohai down and back to Konoha for medical treatment. "Scar, watch the door. I don't know how much longer the guards will be distracted. Hawk, get over here and help me with these cuffs."

Kakashi supported Tenzou's limp body the best he could as Genma used his senbon to make short work of the cuff locks before pulling the restraints as gently off his teammate's already abused hands as he could. Once both wrists were free, Tenzou slumped down, his body dead weight and if Genma hadn't rushed to help, Kakashi probably would have dropped him. Draping one of his arms over each of their shoulders, Kakashi slapped Tenzou's face gently.

"Shodai. Hey, open your eyes." Kakashi hated his harsh tone, hated ordering his obviously dangerously weak kohai around, but then Tenzou's glassy brown eyes slid open a fraction and it was all worth it.

"-empai?" Tenzou ground out, his voice barely a whisper.

"We've got you, kohai," Kakashi nodded in response. "We're going to get you out of here, but we need you to retract the stakes so we can tend to your injuries."

Tenzou's head drooped again and for a second Kakashi thought he had passed out. Then the young man gave a soft whimper of effort and the wooden stakes protruding from his back and chest began to withdraw back into his body. The whole process took longer than it normally did and by the end of it Tenzou's body was shaking and his breath was coming in harsh gasps. Moving hurriedly, Genma and Kakashi laid him back on the floor, surveying for the worst injuries, worried by his unresponsiveness.

Kakashi felt bile rising in his throat as he surveyed the damage to his kohai. There was so much blood. There were cuts on his neck that looked irritated and raw, clearly growing infected. His uniform was covered in rips from his own wooden stakes and his right pant leg completely saturated in dark red blood. Kakashi removed what looked like an old, completely soiled bandaged from Tenzou's thigh and hurriedly pressed down a with thick wad of gauze when even more blood pooled at the surface of the wound. Genma moved quickly and skillfully beside him, wrapping a series of bandages tightly around the leg to stem the bleeding. Moving on, he doused the cuts on Tenzou's neck in a generous amount of disinfectant before taping bandages in place to cover them.

Finally, Kakashi turned his attention to the the deep gash that ran horizontally across Tenzou's stomach, just under his navel. Blood leaked out lazily, staining the Mokuton user's pale skin. Kakashi ripped open another packet of gauze with his teeth and, steeling himself, moved to pack the material carefully into the wound. But something caught his eye as he leaned in closer that caused him to stop short in horror.

"Oh, kami…" Kakashi carefully reached into the deep wound and grabbed at what looked like a piece of paper. Tenzou cried out against the intrusion, arching his back in pain as Genma struggled to hold him down. Kakashi knew what the paper was before he even finished smoothing it out.

"Is that a paper bomb?" Raido's horrified voice asked from over his shoulder.

It wasn't just one paper bomb, but ten of them, crumpled and tucked inside Tenzou's abdomen. Thankfully, they all seemed to need manual detonation, and Kakashi managed to get them all out without any incident, his heart beating rapidly at each new find. What the hell was going on? Kakashi tried to stay focused, replacing the crumpled bombs with pieces of gauze tucked as gently as possible inside Tenzou's wound.

Regardless of his sempai's care, Tenzou was beside himself with pain by this point, crying out and begging Kakashi to stop and it was all the silver-haired captain could do to ignore him and continue his ministrations. Raido had to abandon his post by the door and help Genma hold the young shinobi down, one hand pressed firmly over Tenzou's mouth to muffle his cries. Kakashi worked quickly, packing the wound with gauze before wrapping the young man's whole abdomen tightly with bandages. He tied the end off and signalled his teammates to ease off Tenzou, who was now quiet and still in their hold, barely conscious.

Kakashi waved one of the bloody paper bombs in front of Tenzou's heavy-lidded eyes. He knew they needed to get out of the compound and get Tenzou to real medical treatment, but first he wanted answers. Something was not right. "Shodai, why were these bombs inside you?"

The Mokuton user blinked blankly at his captain. Kakashi tried again. "Why did you have Leaf Village issued paper bombs inside of you?!"

Tenzou swallowed thickly and managed to force out a few words. "w'nt'd Mokuton… couldn't… n-needed to...d'stroy b-body."

The older shinobi all started in panic. Tenzou had done this to himself? All to protect the Mokuton? Kakashi felt his blood boil and decided there were a few choice words he wanted to have with the Hokage when they returned to the village. But Tenzou finally succumbed to unconsciousness, going completely slack in his teammate's grips. Kakashi leaned forward hurriedly, pressing an ear against his chest to gage his vitals. Tenzou's breathing was sharp and shallow, his heart beating fast as it tried to circulate what blood he had left throughout his body. This was not good.

Even with his mask still on, Raido looked completely shaken. "Did he… Is he saying that he…"

"He's losing too much blood," Kakashi cut off his teammate, unable to continue thinking about it any longer without going mad. "We need to get him back to the village _now_."

Kakashi was sure that the journey back to the Leaf Village took a few years off his life. Regardless of how fast they moved, they were still almost a week's journey out from the village and their own minor injuries required them to stop occasionally and rest. Tenzou didn't stir once over the the course of the journey, though they managed to force some water into him at every stop. Because they were forced to carry him on their backs in order to keep moving, they couldn't seem to get Tenzou's wounds to stop bleeding long enough to finish clotting and by the time they reached the Leaf, Kakashi, Genma, and Raido were covered in Tenzou's blood.

When they were still a little less than a day out from the Leaf Village, Kakashi suddenly realized he could not longer feel Tenzou's heart beating rapidly against his back. Jumping down onto the ground, he skidded to a halt. "Scar! Hawk!"

"Captain!" Both shinobi dropped down beside him, watching tensely as Kakashi lowered Tenzou's body off his back and onto the ground. "What happened?"

Kakashi paused, fingers pressed under Tenzou's chin against his jugular. "He's got no pulse. Help me with him."

"Right." The shinobi lowered Tenzou until he was flat on the ground, Raido moving to check his bandages and Genma holding a hand in front of the younger man's mouth. "He's not breathing either."

"Damn it!" Kakashi growled, roughly pulling off his mask with enough force to shock both his conscious teammates. "Hawk, I'm going to need you to pump his chest for me while I breathe. Scar, see if we have anything left to replace those bandages."

Later, both Kakashi and his teammates would describe the four minutes before they finally felt Tenzou's pulse responding and his breathing normalize as the longest four minutes of their lives.


End file.
